Jaleel White is pulling back the curtain on his experience as Steve Urkel in his upcoming memoir, Growing Up Urkel.
The actor, now 47, revealed that by the time the sitcom was nearing its eighth season, executives were making adjustments to his wardrobe, including ditching Urkel’s iconic suspenders and opting for looser jeans to keep things “family-friendly.”
“Let’s get rid of the suspenders. Lower his pants, too. Oh, and… it’s getting a bit uncomfortable watching him in tight jeans. There’s a, uh… bulge…,” White recalls the executives allegedly saying, according to The U.S. Sun.
White, who joined the show at just 13 and played Urkel until he was 22, said growing out of his character was a literal and figurative challenge. “By the time I was in college, it felt like I was peeling Urkel’s jeans off like a banana,” he shared.
White also claimed that the Family Matters producers wanted to keep the show going as long as they could, but it was extremely “physically painful” for him to speak in Urkel’s signature voice as he grew into a man.
The “Big Fat Liar” star felt so much strain that he almost left the series before its last season in 1998.
But it wasn’t just the voice or wardrobe adjustments that made the role complicated. White claimed that tensions on set escalated as his fame grew, leaving him feeling alienated from his co-stars.
“I didn’t see how I was stepping on anybody’s toes, I was taking anybody’s shine,” White told TVOne’s Uncensored in 2021. “It’s very important that I say this: I was not very well welcomed to the cast at all, okay?
“And I don’t need to rehash that with the adults over and over again. They know what it is.”
White’s career and personal life have evolved since his Family Matters days. He tied the knot with Nicoletta Ruhl in May 2024 and is father to 15-year-old Samaya, whom he shares with ex-partner Bridget Hardy.
His memoir, Growing Up Urkel, will be released on Nov. 19 and offer fans an intimate glimpse into his journey as one of TV’s most beloved characters.
“I can’t tell you all just how excited I am to share these ’90s and early 2000 stories with you readers,” White posted on his Instagram in October.
“The peaks and valleys of growing up playing that character were wild and I met everyone imaginable along the journey. You will be so surprised who I crossed paths with and how. This is my story, thanks for hearing me out.”
